Carcass problem

[WorstMB2Player]

Hi
I followed this tutorial http://jkhub.org/tutorials/article/90-softimagexsi-joja-skeleton-bonestags-and-compiling-guide/ and did pretty much everything except making caps (i assume they aren't mandatory lol)

So then i export the root.xsi to the _humanoid folder and i write the model.car file
but when i drag it into carcass.exe I get this error:


As you can see the structure is correct so I'm not sure why it can't find skeleton_root



Any help appreciated

[AshuraDX]

try a select all then export selected, no lcue what else you could try - I bet @@minilogoguy18 could have the answer

[minilogoguy18]

Did you middle click on the model_root before export? In Softimage you have to branch select the main root node before export otherwise everything gets exported, even the scene camera and light which carcass will just be like "WTF?!".

[WorstMB2Player]

Thanks but I tried both of those and still got the same error

[AshuraDX]

Random idea: is there a space after skeleton_root? Is it actually named "skeleton_root " instead of "skeleton_root"?

 

No clue how carcass would react to that

[minilogoguy18]

Are you using Assimilate? It makes things more simple. Also, for safe measure you should be compiling off the root of the drive, the compiler doesn't like long file paths. It should be like this...

 

C:\base\models\players\_humanoid\

 

All your stuff you generate should be in C:\base\ and not the games actual directory, don't ask me why but it's the way most of us have been doing it forever.

 

I should just take the time to finish those videos in that tutorial since this part isn't covered.

 

Assimilate settings, the enum file isn't necesarry for what you're doing, it comes with the games source and it's the anims.h file. It's needed though if you wanna recompile the _humanoid.gla using the source dotXSI files.

[AshuraDX]

here's the .car file I use to compile my playermodels:

$aseanimgrabinit
$aseanimgrab_gla models/players/_humanoid/_humanoid.gla
$aseanimgrabfinalize
$aseanimconvertmdx_noask models/players/_humanoid/root -makeskin

just copy&paste that into a textfile and rename it model.car, then drag&drop that onto carcass.exe

and it should start compiling your model

 

you could aswell upload your scene and the exported xsi here so @@minilogoguy18 and I could take a look

[Asgarath83]

mmm, strange, in the hierarchy i just put the skeleton root as children of model_root and mesh_root, and these as children of stupidtriangle_off

but i not think is an hierarchy error.

[minilogoguy18]

mmm, strange, in the hierarchy i just put the skeleton root as children of model_root and mesh_root, and these as children of stupidtriangle_off

but i not think is an hierarchy error.

That's wrong, I don't know how you're even making whatever you're exporting work. It should be like this...

 

model_root

        |

        |__mesh_root

        |            |__stupidtriangle_off

        |                            |__yourmodel

        |

        |__skeleton_root

                     |__pelvis

[Asgarath83]

That's wrong, I don't know how you're even making whatever you're exporting work. It should be like this...

 

model_root

        |

        |__mesh_root

        |            |__stupidtriangle_off

        |                            |__yourmodel

        |

        |__skeleton_root

                     |__pelvis

 

instead they works. when i learn to rigging with psyk0sith tutorials, ! i followed the hierarchy of the firsts models i watched on modview.

 

stupidtriangle_off was the pivot tag of all stuff. his parent with it on this way on my custom models:

 

stupidtriangle_off -> hips -> all other meshes

        |

        |-> model_root -> mesh_root

           |-> skeleton_root

              |-> pelvis

                   |-> all other bones.

 

i not know how or why, but works too also in this way. 

also, on my max i see that model, skeleton and mesh_root are not bones, but helpers.

however good to know, i followed wrong hierarchy for all this years because i used as example a model with wrong hierarchy o.o

D:

otherwise, it works however, i not know how is possible.

 

o.o

[minilogoguy18]

The way I posted is how it is on the Raven source models when imported into Softimage as that was the program all the games models that used bones were exported from.

 

 

 

 

The base AT-ST is imported into the scene as a comparison to the new model and I just never deleted it but you can see how the hierarchy is arranged.

 

BTW, model_root and even bones don't have to be bone objects, all that's taken into the GLM file is transform info from the object and envelope weights from the mesh. Your bones could simply be little polymesh cubes if you wanted. The AT-ST doesn't even use bones for the objects that the model is weighed to, they're just null objects, the only bones in use are the IK chains for the character rig which the skeleton is constrained to but doesn't get exported. Same goes for the _humanoid character rig that I made. It's called a shadow rig and it gives you a load of freedom to make something too complex for the game engine drive a simple FK chain that the game can interpret with a smaller file size.

[WorstMB2Player]

Are you using Assimilate? It makes things more simple. Also, for safe measure you should be compiling off the root of the drive, the compiler doesn't like long file paths. It should be like this...

 

C:\base\models\players\_humanoid\

I did both of those and got the same error along with "Process returned error 1" when clicking Build Model

 

 

Well here's the scene and XSI:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/uffczx93vq5nuv0/sheik.exp

http://www.mediafire.com/download/acmouii18jlknic/root.xsi

[minilogoguy18]

@@WorstMB2Player I'll try to check it out this weekend and see what's going on with it, maybe tomorrow night if I don't get home too late.

[Archangel35757]

@@minilogoguy18 - it's a dotXSI 3.5 file... have you had any issues with 3.5?

 

@@WorstMB2Player - what are your XSI export options?

[WorstMB2Player]

@minilogoguy18 thanks

 

@Archangel35757

[minilogoguy18]

@@Archangel35757 I always use 3.5, the final version of carcass takes 3.x, 3.0 and 3.2 are pointless.

[Archangel35757]

@@Archangel35757 I always use 3.5, the final version of carcass takes 3.x, 3.0 and 3.2 are pointless.

Carcass v2.2 can process dotXSI 1.1 and 1.3 formats (Star Trek Elite Force) as well as 3.0 and 3.5. Version 3.5 adds no additonal useful information for this game engine... so might as well use v3.0 imo.

[minilogoguy18]

Yeah but in the instance where I wanna share the dotXSI file it's capable of storing more information than a 3.0 would and if I remember right it chooses 3.5 by default in Softimage.

[Archangel35757]

Yeah but in the instance where I wanna share the dotXSI file it's capable of storing more information than a 3.0 would and if I remember right it chooses 3.5 by default in Softimage.

you can compare the same exported scene as 3.0 and 3.5 in Notepad++ (using the side-by-side compare plug-in). The main difference is in shaders and materials. But you can keep using v3.5 , my 3dsMax import maxscript can import 1.1/1.3/3.0/3.5 formats.

[minilogoguy18]

@@WorstMB2Player Sorry it took so long, been very busy. Seems I gave the wrong assimilate preferences. Here are the correct ones.

 

 

 

 

The carcass.exe must be in the folder specified in the preferences!

 

The main problem with the model is that you chose the skeleton_root as a deformer, that is a no no. The nodes model_root, mesh_root and skeleton_root cannot be used as deformers. Removing it made the model compile, this is how you remove it...

 

1. Select all your polygon meshes, do this by right clicking on stupidtriangle_off in the explorer and choosing "expand all from here" then select stupidtriangle_off and shift+left click the mesh at the end of the list, should be bolt_r_hand_cap_r_arm.

2. Now, remove skeleton_root from the envelope for your meshes by going to the animate toolbar and selecting "Deform>Envelope>Remove Deformers" then simply left click skeleton_root then right click to end the picking session.

3. Export to the folder /base/models/players/_huamnoid/, open Assimilate, choose File>Add Files and pick the _humanoid.gla file

4. Click on the big "B" in Assimilate for build model and watch the magic.

 

Let me know if you run into any more issues, if you do just post the command prompt in Assimilate as it will tell us what's wrong but doing this I was able to successfully compile your model.

[WorstMB2Player]

That worked, thanks so much

[minilogoguy18]

Looking forward to seeing some more models submitted here then!

[minilogoguy18]

@@WorstMB2Player Could you mark post #20 as answered? It could help others out in the future.